 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
 |
| Over the years, we've learned what questions you need answered. Check below for FAQ about: |
|
| Rules and regulations Wan-Da Tours China in general |
|
|
| Rules and regulations |
|
| Do I need a passport? Yes. Check your passport to make sure it is valid for at least six months beyond the date of your return from the tour. If it isn't, you will have to renew it. |
|
| Do I need a visa for China? Yes. If you are entering and leaving with the group, we can apply for your inclusion on a group visa. All we need from you are two photocopies of the signature and picture pages of your passport. It doesn't matter what passport you hold. Almost any nationality can apply. An individual visa may be applied for at the Chinese consulate serving the area where you live. We'd be happy to give advice. |
|
| What are the Customs allowances? The Customs allowances are 400 cigarettes and two 75ml bottles of alcoholic beverages. |
|
| What other Customs rules are there? Customs rules require an accounting of all valuables including watches, jewelry, cameras and currency that you are taking in. A copy of this is surrendered on departure and anything missing may well be treated as imported and duty required accordingly. Therefore make sure you obtain a police report for any goods stolen during your stay. Recorded videotapes must be declared and may be viewed by the authorities on arrival. (But do remember videotapes purchased in North America will not work on Chinese TVs, which use the PAL system; the same applies bringing Chinese videotapes to North America; they may have to be converted.) |
|
| Do I have to have shots? No special shots are required for short-term travelers with the exception of those coming from or via an infected area. All visitors may be asked to complete a health form to indicate if they have symptoms of yellow fever, cholera, typhoid, or other communicable diseases. |
|
|
How do I register for a tour? |
|
|
To whom should I make my check payable? |
|
|
How long is the flight? |
|
|
What are your gateways? |
|
|
Should I take out insurance for my trip? |
|
|
Are there extra fees I should know about? |
|
|
Who will be my tour leader? |
|
|
Who will be my fellow travelers? |
| China in general |
|
| What's the weather like? China is the world's third largest country, so you'd expect great variations in climate. The northern regions can get very cold in winter, and quite hot in summer. The southern regions are subtropical, where it is warm most of the year, although winters even in Hong Kong can get chilly. Hainan Island in the far south is warm all year; the the Hawaii of China, Western China, is dry and desert-like, very hot in summer and very cold in winter. Much of eastern China is a continental monsoon climate, dry from fall to spring and wet from spring to fall. Heavy rains may hit in summer, but usually are quickly spent. The best times for travel are mid-April through mid-June and September to October when it is neither hot nor cold over most of the country. |
|
| What's the currency in China? Chinese money is called ren min bi, which just means "People's Money." It's a decimal system broken into yuan (the equivalent of our dollar) and fen (the equivalent of our cent). There are 100 fen in one yuan. Coins include one fen, two fen and five fen, but they have so little value the purchasing power doesn't really start to click in until 10 fen. The 10-fen coin (or bill) has two names. It s called mao or jiao; mao is more common. One Canadian dollar will purchase about 5.4 yuan (five yuan and four mao). One U.S. dollar will purchase about 8.3 yuan (eight yuan and three mao). Variations in the exchange rate of the Canadian dollar with the U.S. dollar do not affect the rate of exchange for Canadian dollars in China. |
|
| What is the electricity voltage? China uses a 220 volt, 50-cycle AC system. You'll need a converter if you bring electrical appliances from North America. You'll also need an international plug set. You can purchase these at most electronic shops. Get the set marked for China. Razor outlets are generally safe to use in hotels. Most hotels (at least the ones we use) provide hairdryers and irons, so you don't have to bother lugging these items with you. |
|
| What language do the Chinese speak? The standard language of China is putonghua, or mandarin. It is the dialect of Beijing, and the language you hear when you turn on national TV or radio. It is very different tonally from Cantonese, which is spoken in Hong Kong, Canton and by most Chinese in North America (although this is changing as more and more Chinese from other parts of the country and speaking other dialects come to the U.S. and Canada to work or study). In China, Cantonese is spoken by only about 8 per cent of the people, all in the south. So if you want to pick up some words of Chinese, study mandarin, not Cantonese. Throughout China there are hundreds of different dialects, for the most part unintelligible to the other; there are also scores of different languages spoken by minority nationalities. Many have their own distinctive scripts, too. The Chinese script is ideographic, consisting of tens of thousands of characters made up of combinations of some 214 radicals. Knowing 3,000 characters will make a person literate and knowing 7,000 enables the person to read a newspaper. |
|
|
| Travel Into Legend -- 1-888-369-2632
-- with Wan-Da Tours
Home About Us Tours Now About China Travel FAQ WanDa Club Contact Us News |